Preparedness Notes for Thursday – March 22, 2018

This is the birthday of Louis L’Amour. Some of his novels have survival themes. One of the most notable ones was Last of the Breed. On a side note, I recently found that the hardbound, leatherette special edition of his books has been discontinued, but you can find complete sets of them on eBay at reasonable prices. o o o Take note that the recent re-order of SurvivalBlog 2005-2017 Archive USB sticks is already 50% gone. If you want one of these, you should make your order now before it’s too late. o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today features …




Cipher Security- Part 1, by East Sierra Sage

[Editor’s Note: This is good information, but readers should note that simple transposition ciphers of any type can be easily broken. Only One Time Pads and book codes offer any reasonable level of cipher security.] My Nom de Plume is “East Sierra Sage”, and I’m writing about cipher security. I am a Retired Marine Infantry Staff Non-Commissioned Officer. I served multiple combat tours in Iraq, as well as most of the “skirmishes” the U.S. got involved in leading up to the global war on terror. Two tours were served as an instructor of Mountain Warfare training for the Marine Corps. …




The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Firearms on YouTube are in trouble with the recent changes in policy. NRA Buckles yet Again The NRA has buckled yet again. Shadows of the 1968 spineless collapse just won’t go away. This time, the NRA has come out in favor of Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs). As promoted by the NRA, the family of the victim will bypass any sort of police involvement, going straight to court with their evidence. A …







Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – March 21, 2018

Just three days after Hessian mercenary forces assaulted the local New Jersey militia at Quinton’s Bridge, the same contingent surprised the colonial militia at Hancock’s Bridge five miles from Salem. In what became known as the Massacre at Hancock’s Bridge, at least 20 members of the militia lost their lives, some after attempting to surrender. The Loyalists reputedly exclaimed “Spare no one! Give no quarter!” as they stormed the occupied house. Judge Hancock and his brother (both Loyalists) were bayoneted in the melee by the attackers even though they were both staunch supporters of the crown and were themselves non-violent …




Our 36-Hour Test During the Nor’easter Wind Storm, by RR in the Mid-Atlantic

We knew this storm was a short-term situation, and so we used it as an opportunity to test systems and find holes in our plans. Keep that in mind as you read this article. We just experienced very heavy and sustained winds and no snow/rain/flooding, which would obviously bring a whole new set of challenges. Generators Backup generators are critical. Ours is a “portable”, 10K watt starting (8,500 running watts), gasoline-powered Generac. It has a 30 amp plug and cord that is then connected into a cable that connects into a 50-watt sub panel we have integrated to our home …




Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on Remington Firearms. (See the Tangibles Investing section, near the end of this column.) Precious Metals: How to Buy Gold or Silver With Bitcoin & Other Cryptos Cryptos: After dipping to as low as $7,421 USD last week, the value of Bitcoin seems to have bounced …




JWR’s Recommendations of the Week

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on Tactical Walls — a firearms concealment furniture company. Books: The Call Of The Wild, by Jack London o  o  o NOLS Winter Camping (NOLS Library)   Movies: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. On DVD, but also now available fro free download for anyone with an Amazon Prime membership. o o o Bitcoin Gospel — a 2018 documentary on DVD. It is also now available for free download for Amazon Prime members.  




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“One bleeding-heart type asked me in a recent interview if I did not agree that ‘violence begets violence.’ I told him that it is my earnest endeavor to see that it does. I would like very much to ensure—and in some cases I have—that any man who offers violence to his fellow citizen begets a whole lot more in return than he can enjoy.” – Col. Jeff Cooper




Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – March 20, 2018

March 20th is the birthday of Mel Tappan. (Born 1933, died 1980.) His perennially popular survivalist books Survival Guns and Tappan on Survival have a well-deserved following. o o o We are coming on the end of Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. If you would like your article to be considered in this round, get it finished and sent in to the editors soon! o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today features another entry for Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift …




The Second Amendment, by D.V.

There is a lot of talk about the Second Amendment right now. The Bill of Rights is a document that has been enshrined in the annals of America. Ultimately, it is the fundamental rights that is provided to individuals to protect them from an overbearing government. While of the amendments on the Bill of Rights that are under attack, the amendment that takes the greatest beating is Amendment #2– the Right to Bear Arms. (I believe I could make valid arguments on all ten are under attack, yes even Amendment #3– No Quartering of Soldiers, but that is a different …




SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on the American Redoubt’s equestrian culture and colorful rodeos. Idaho Idaho’s Rodeo Culture o o o Southwest Idaho Endurance Riding o o o Homeschooled kids here in the American Redoubt often amaze me. For example, I’ve witnessed their great ability to memorize lengthy passages of scripture and the Declaration of Independence. But Akiane Kramarik, from Sandpoint, Idaho is …




The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Turkey disturbingly calls for an “Army of Islam” to attack Israel this week. The Six “No’s” You Need to Know Dale Carson Law, in Florida, has posted a YouTube video outlining six common things that you can say “no” to when dealing with police. What is good about this is that the lawyer outlines that while you can say “no”, you may not want to. For instance, if you are a passenger …







Preparedness Notes for Monday – March 19, 2018

On March 19, 1649, the House of Commons of England passed an act abolishing the House of Lords, declaring it “useless and dangerous to the people of England”. Perhaps it’s time Americans did the same with our Senate–or better yet return our Senate to its proper role–representing the individual States rather than electing Senators by popular vote.